Private Legal practitioner, journalist and host of Joy FM’s Newsfile, Samson Lardy Anyenini, has stated that compelling citizens to participate in the nationwide clean-up exercise is illegal, insisting there is no national law that empowers the President to enforce such a directive.
His comments come after President John Dramani Mahama urged Ghanaians to actively participate in the nationwide clean-up exercise.
The President declared Friday, July 10, 2026, and Saturday, July 11, 2026, as National General Cleaning Days in the seven regions affected by the recent floods as part of efforts to improve sanitation and prevent the outbreak of diseases.
Speaking on Super Morning Show on July 14, Mr Anyenini said stopping motorists and citizens on the road and forcing them to clean because of the President’s nationwide clean-up exercise is not legally justified.
According to him, while President John Mahama may have declared the exercise mandatory, there is no national legislation that gives the President the authority to compel every citizen to comply.
He explained that such enforcement would only be lawful if a specific Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assembly has a by-law requiring residents to participate in clean-up exercises and authorities are acting under that by-law.
“Unless you are certain that a particular assembly has a by-law mandating the exercise and a person is in breach of it, it would be completely wrong to force anyone to participate,” he said.
Mr Anyenini stressed that Ghana is a constitutional democracy where presidential directives do not automatically become law.
“The President’s word is not law. There are legal instruments the President is permitted to issue, such as Executive Instruments, but this is not one of them,” he noted.
He said although maintaining a clean environment is in the interest of every Ghanaian, participation should be encouraged through persuasion rather than coercion.
“I don’t know why anyone would refuse to clean because it is for our own well-being. But if someone decides not to participate, you can only persuade them, not force them,” he said.
Mr Anyenini concluded that stopping motorists, ordering them out of their vehicles and compelling them to take part in the nationwide clean-up exercise is unlawful unless it is backed by an enforceable local by-law.
source: myjoyonline.com
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